Solly Drake

Solomon Louis Drake (born October 23, 1930) was an outfielder in Major League Baseball. He played in 141 games for the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies during the 1956 & 1959 baseball seasons. Solly and his brother, Sammy Drake, were the first African-American brothers to play in the majors.

He is the oldest of three children. In 1948, he graduated from Dunbar High School. After high school, Drake began his baseball career when he joined the Elmwood Giants of the Mandak League as a 17-year-old outfielder that same year and returned for two more seasons in Manitoba. A .300 hitter with Elmwood in 1950, Drake began his pro career in 1951 as an all-star with Topeka. After he served two years in the military, Drake put in two more seasons in the minors before his debut, at age 25 with the Cubs in April, 1956.

He officially retired from baseball in 1960. Solomon Drake then went on to graduate from Philander Smith College with a double major in Psychology and Physical Education. He is married to Isabelle Dunlap and is the father of three children.Drake is currently the Pastor of the Greater Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, California.

1. ^ Swanton, Barry (2006). The ManDak League: haven for former Negro league ballplayers, 1950-1957. McFarland & Company. p. 97. ISBN 0-7864-2510-5. Retrieved June 23, 2011.